Method of refrigeration



Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES PAT N orrica.

PA UL H. BUCH AND HOWARD M. GEOFF, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

METHOD or nnrmcmrxon..

No Drawing.

7 '0 all LU/(.O'IIL it may concern Be it known that we, PAUL H. Boon and HowAnn M. (inorr, citizens of the United States, and residents of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Refrigeration, of which the following'is a specification, this application being in part-a continuation of an earlier application filed b as on the 31st day of Au ust, 1920, Serial o. 407,251.

Our sai invention relates to a method or process of refrigeration of the type in which a gaseous refrigerant is. compressed and condensed or liquefied and thereafter ex-.

panded to secure the cooling or refrigeratm efifect.

%Jne of the greatest obstacles to economic automatic refrigeration has been the provision of means for effectively lubricatin the compression .chamber in apparatusoi the compressor-condenser-expander type. In many instances the excess lubricant, and in that the-lubricant lodging thereon is conealed.

The result of this con elation is ault-y valve action or complete clogging of the system at the spot where successive amounts of the lubricant are deposited and congealed. Some method of overcoming this obstacle has long been desired but never wholly accomplished, and therefore advancement in the art of automatic refrigeration has been delayed.

The present invention aims to avoid this objection by selecting a refrigerant which,

when used in the manner hereinafter do scribed, will develop a by-product having lubricating properties which will be deposited upon the interior of the compressor and effectually lubricate the same and which will not have any detrimental eflect upon other parts of the system.

The invention further aims to provide a method which will be more economical and cilicient than methods heretofore used 01E Application filed February 6, 1922. Serial No. 53;,534.

which we are aware, and which may be economically carried out one. small scale, thus adapting it for household plants.

In proceeding according to. the preferred form ofour invention we use chloric ether as a refrigerant, and elfect the refrigeration by compressing and condensing the chloric ether and thereafter expanding it directly into a body of non-congealable fluid such as brine.

Preferably we form the chlorie ether directly in the brine byjintroducing into a. brine -tank, say, for a hundred and fifty poundmachine, five gallons of calcium ch10- rid brine, 80 salometer, and two quarts of denatured alcohol, andthereafter pass into and through the brine two hundred grams of pure ethyl chlorid. This absorbs enough aleohol to produce chloric ether leaving a residue of some alcohol in the brine.

The chloric ether passes to the surface of or condensed and is-thereafter returned to and expanded directlyinto the brine, abstracting heat therefrom.

While we have'given certain specific proportions for the ingredients mentioned we do not limit ourselves to these, it bei im portant onl tohave suflicient alcohol to form the c iloric other, and preferably a slight excess of alcohol. With an excess of alcohol a certain amount of this will circulatethrough the system and act as a sec0ndary refrigerant.

We have discovered that by using chloric ether in the manner hereinbefore set forth, there is formed a by-product, with lubricating properties, which is deposited upon the interior of the compression chamber.' This by-product or lubricant is only deposited upon certain substances such as-cast iron, brass and steel, and it only remains to select such material or materials for the remaining portion of the refrigerant passages, other than the compression chamber, upon which this by-product will not be deposited. By

so doingthe dangerous points in the refrig erant. passages, such as the expansion valve, and that portion of the passage which lies in a reduced temperature zone, are kept free from clogging aml-interfering'with roper operation of the mechanism of .whici they are a part.

We believe the formation of this by'-prod-.

not to be hastened bythe presence of zinc in the brine tank or system such as would be .the case where a galvanized brine container is used (or where zinc is inserted), the chloric ether, after hydrolizing, producing such a hydrocarbon byproduct having lubricating properties, which we have found suffipresent, a lubricating by-pr'oduct is formed,

but more slowly than when alcohol is present in the; brine to form chloric ether.

By the use of our new refrigerant and method allnecessity for supplying lubricant from an'external source as heretofore practiced .is avoided and the attendant objections removed.

. M suitable apparatus may be used for Ycarrymg out the method, such for example as thatidisclosed in an-application filed b Having thus described our invention,

' what we claim is:

"1. The' hereindescribed method which consists in expanding into a body of non- -cong ealable-liquid a volatile liquid refrigerant ofsuch a character that a lubricating by-profduct will be formed, compressing and condensing said expanded refrigerant and "repeating the operation in a continuous cycle.

2. The hereindescribed method which consists in expanding into a body of non-volatile 'non-congealable liquid in the presence of zinc, a volatile liquid refrigerant of a composition such that a hydrolizing and polymerizing action takes place, resulting in the formation of a. hydrocarbon by-product of a lubricating nature, compreming and condensing the expanded refrigerant and depositing the by-product on the walls of the compressor, andagain expandin the condensed refrigerant into the body 0 noncongealable liquid. i i

3. The herein described method of refrigoration which consists incompressing chloric ether and thereafter expanding the I .same directly into a body of non-congealable liquid to abstract heat therefrom.

4. The herein described method of refrigeration which consists in compressing and condensing chloric other, expanding said compressed and condensed chloric ether directly into a body of non-congealable liquid, collecting the expanded chloric ether from over the surface of said liquid, and repeating the operation.

5. The herein described method of refrigoration which consists in introducing ethyl chlorid into a non-congealable liquid containing alcohol to mingle with the alcohol to form chloric ether, collecting the gaseous chloric-ether from the surface of the liquid and compressing and condensing it and thereafter expanding'said compressed and condensed chloric ether directly into said non-congealable liquid. I

6. The herein described method of refrigera'tion which consistsin com ressing ethyl I y ch orid, expanding the same lrectly into a uson the'23rd' day of July, 1921, Serial No.

non-congealable liquid containing" alcohol to mingle with the alcohol to form chloric ether, collecting the gaseous chloric ether from the surface of the liquid and'cornpress ing and condensing it and thereafter expanding said compressed and condensed chloric ether directly into said non-congealable liquid.

7. The herein described method of refrigeration which consists in introducin ethyl chlorid into brine containing 21100 01 to mingle withthe ethyl chlorid to form chlorie ether collecting the gaseous chloric ether from the surface of the brine and compressing and condensing it and thereafter expanding it directly into said brine.

Tn testimony whereofiwe affix our signatures.

' PAUL H. BUCH.

HOWARD M. GROFF. 

